The Diamond MakersCambridge University Press, 22.07.1999 - 244 Seiten Since time immemorial, we have treasured diamonds for their exquisite beauty and unrivaled hardness. Yet, most of the earth's diamonds lie deep underground and totally unaccessible to us--if only we knew how to fabricate them! In The Diamond Makers Robert Hazen vividly recounts the very human desire to exceed nature and create a synthetic diamond. Spanning centuries of ground-breaking science, instances of bitter rivalry, cases of outright fraud and self-delusion, Hazen blends drama and science to reveal the extraordinary technological advances and devastating failures of the diamond industry. Along the way, readers will be introduced to the brilliant, often eccentric and controversial, pioneers of high-pressure research who have harnessed crushing pressures and scorching temperatures to transform almost any carbon-rich material, from road tar to peanut butter, into the most prized of all gems. Robert M. Hazen is the author of fifteen books, including the bestseller, Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy, which he wrote with James Trefil. Dr. Hazen has won numerous awards for his research and scientific writing. |
Inhalt
Mysteries | 1 |
Attempts | 16 |
The legacy of Percy Bridgman | 39 |
Baltzar von Platen and | 61 |
The crystals of Loring Coes | 78 |
Project Superpressure | 95 |
Breakthrough | 112 |
Secrets | 131 |
Risky business | 154 |
The rivals | 170 |
The diamond breakers | 213 |
Epilogue | 235 |
237 | |
Häufige Begriffe und Wortgruppen
000 atmospheres abrasive Alvin Van Valkenburg ASEA ASEA's Baltzar von Platen Beers belt apparatus Bob Wentorf Bovenkerk Boyd Bundy and Strong carats Carboloy carbon atoms chemical chemist Coes's coesite compressed cone apparatus Courtesy cylinder device diamond cell diamond crystals diamond growth diamond makers diamond seed diamond synthesis diamond-anvil diamond-making discovery drilled effort Electric Electric's electrons energy Erik Lundblad experiments explosion Francis Bundy gasket GE's gems gemstone George Kennedy Giardini graphite Hal Bovenkerk Hall's Hannay Harvard heat Herb Strong Herbert Strong high temperatures high-pressure research hydrogen iron Joe Boyd laboratory layer lonsdaleite Loring Coes machine material metal minerals Moissan natural diamond Norton patent Percy Bridgman Physics pistons Platen polywater produced Robert Wentorf rock sample chamber scientific scientists seed crystals squeezed steel stones Superpressure synthesis of diamond synthetic diamond temperatures and pressures thermite tiny Tom Swift Tracy Hall tungsten carbide x-ray Yoder